What is Arts Integration?

1. What is Arts Integration? Making natural and meaningful connections between an art form(s) and another curriculum area. In an arts-integrated lesson or unit, students should gain knowledge and/or skills in both subjects. There should be learning objectives in both the art form and the subject area. All learning objectives should be measurable and assessed.

2. Arts Integration In integrated arts lessons, arts and non-arts content are taught in tandem, with the content and methods of the disciplines woven together for mutual reinforcement. (“Third Space, when learning matters”, Arts Education Partnership, 2005)

3. Why do Arts Integration? Research shows that test scores go UP in schools using arts integration!!! The chart on the left shows the increases in student achievement in Third Grade Reading in AAA schools on a standardized Northwest Area Levels Test (NALT). The results show that all students who have extensive arts integration improve more than students who do not. It further shows that girls receiving Free and Reduced Lunch improve even more and that students whose first language is not English achieve at a much-accelerated rate in arts integrated classrooms.

4. The Research The chart at the left shows that students in 3rd grade arts integrated classrooms improve in mathematics on the NALT at an accelerated rate over students with no arts integration and that boys receiving free and reduced lunch improve at an even higher rate

5. Arts integration uses: • Different learning modalities which work with multiple intelligences • Learning in more than one area helps to solidify knowledge…

6. Critical Thinking Skills Can be Taught: Through the Arts Through Reading Analyze; Assess; Associate; Categorize; Characterize; Clarify; Classify; Compare; Connect; Contrast; Defend; Determine; Distinguish; Elaborate; Examine; Explain; Extend; Generalize; Identify; Infer; Interpret; Justify; Observe; Organize; Predict; Question; Relate; Summarize; Support; Visualize

7. A visual artist expresses their voice through elements such as materials, composition and color choice. Fifth grade artists were challenged to paint, print or draw a tree, using color and materials to convey a feeling or mood.

8. A writer expresses their voice through idea and word choice.

9. Here’s a simple example: Compare two artworks. Ask guiding questions: What do you see in each picture? What is the same, what is different? Describe the people in each picture. How would you categorize the colors these artists used? What types of color has the artist used?

10. As the discussion progresses, thinking becomes higher level: What mood do you think each picture portrays? Why? What colors help to convey the mood? What message do you think the artist is trying to convey? What evidence do you see in the work to support your idea?

11. Visual artists make choices as they compose their work, just like writers do. Arts integration does not always include messy art materials--it is the thinking that is most important!

12. It’s Bloom’s Taxonomy! Higher Level/Critical Thinking: • Evaluation (Assessing the information using standards) • Synthesis (placing smaller parts into a coherent larger concept) • Application (use knowledge in different settings) • Analysis (separation of parts for a larger concept) • Comprehension (interpretation of facts) • Knowledge (facts)

13. How do you get started? • Kindergarten Science: • Unit III: Life and Environmental Science: • Goal 2. • Plants - The student will use scientific skills and processes to explore the characteristics of plants. • Objectives -The student will be able to: • d. Recognize that plants vary in size, shape, and color. • Choose a curriculum objective you want to focus on. • With the arts teacher, choose an objective from the arts curriculum. Remember, arts include visual art, movement such as dance, music and drama. Kindergarten Art: EXPRESSING Course Goals: Demonstrate the ability to make art for self-expression. Course Objectives: 3. Develop and communicate visual ideas about one’s world using color, line, shape, and texture to represent ideas visually from observations, memory, and imagination.

14. How about another example? Grade One Writing: Goal A: Composition - The student will compose in a variety of modes employing specific forms. 1. Write to Express Personal Ideas Objectives - The student will be able to compose oral, written, and visual presentations that express personal ideas, specifically: c. Present an organized message that is understandable with a beginning, middle, and end. (I, O) • Choose a curriculum objective you want to focus on. • With the arts teacher, choose an objective from the arts curriculum. Remember, arts include visual art, movement such as dance, music and drama. Grade One Visual Art: RESPONDING Course Goals: Develop an ability to identify, describe, compare, and contrast artworks to develop a personal statement. Course Objectives: Describe ways in which artists express ideas about people, places, and events.

15. And then what? Plan with your arts teacher: Kindergarten scientists can hone their powers of observation and use their drawing skills to record what they see. Practice color mixing to make all the kinds of green they will need to describe their plants. First grade artists can can make wordless books that tell as story using a sequence of events. Written language will enrich the story. Our young storytellers will be more descriptive and stretch their storytelling skills and confidence when focusing on the ideas they form as they compose their visual images. Artists also like to design their book covers and construct different book formats.

16. Resources I have available: • Art and curriculum teacher resources bin • Books about making different kinds of books • Arts integrated lessons for the Howard County curriculum already on the Intranet • Art materials cart or cabinet

17. So.. Come plan with me… The skies the limit!